


Sideline Stories: We're Not Friends (Gia)

by UnicornAffair



Series: Wild Pitch [14]
Category: Power Rangers Megaforce, Power Rangers Samurai
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2018-05-20
Packaged: 2019-05-09 13:54:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14717318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnicornAffair/pseuds/UnicornAffair
Summary: Ever since freshman year Gia Moran and Lauren Shiba were on opposite sides. The self proclaimed queen of the school and the quiet loner who just wanted to play her favorite game. A look on their relationship over their years at Angel Grove.Context: Up to Chapter 20 in Wild Pitch.





	Sideline Stories: We're Not Friends (Gia)

**Author's Note:**

> Originally this was going to be apart of the Giemma story (Chapter 12) but I felt there'd be too much Lauren and not enough Emma so I expanded the idea and made a Lauren & Gia friend fic.

Five freshmen on a team was a tall order for Coach Rita Repulsa. She hated these years, the years of rebuilding a team. Young teams don’t do as well against veteran teams, that was just a fact. Five lumps of clay that she needed to mold into perfection. When their senior hit, Tanya Sloan, Aisha Campbell, Emma Goodall, Gia Moran and Lauren Shiba would be an elite force to go up against...they just had to get through their growing pains. This _wasn’t_ summer rec league anymore, this wasn’t junior high softball. Varsity softball was _no joke._ Coach Repulsa put _everything_ into this job and she demanded results, she demanded her team to get their shit together and be perfect.

She _hated_ rebuilding years.

Her Angel Grove Tigers _lost_ against her old college rival’s team, the Harwood County Monarchs. Over something _stupid._ It was the bottom of the sixth inning, Angel Grove was winning, all they had to do was keep a hold of their lead. A shallow popup toward center field should have been _child’s play_ an easy out to simply end the game. Lauren came in from center field, while Gia at second base was moving back _both_ calling for the ball and _neither_ of them backing down from the play. Her two idiot dumb blonde freshmen ran into each other, the ball fell fair and the Monarch's won the game. On something _stupid._ Divatox looked so damn smug for beating Repulsa...it drove Rita to a breaking point.

This wasn’t the first time Rita had to use a punishment to get her girl’s acts together, missed plays she would do consistent drills, extra lifting, extra anything she could think of just to get her point across. With Gia Moran and Lauren Shiba she thought the _best_ method to get them to start communicating with one another was to shove them in her closet and locking the door, forcing them to interact until the other girls outside were done with practice.

“Great” A freshman Gia Moran sighed as the door was slammed in her face. She looked back to where Lauren Shiba sat on the ground, resting her back against the end of the closet. It wasn’t that Gia... _hated_ Lauren per-say. The girl never _did_ anything personal to her it was just _ugh._ She felt like all during summer rec leagues Lauren was put on some pedestal, she was an amazing player but because she had dead parents she would get the extra sympathy...would get special treatment. Girls like Gia Moran and Karone Astronema were overlooked, constantly.

When they both made it onto the varsity squad Gia was worried that it was going to be _that_ all over again. She would have to push herself further to be noticed, to be _better_ than Lauren Shiba. It was what drove her to try and make that play. “Aren’t you going to apologize?” Gia asked, swiftly turning, Lauren simply looked up with her with sad blue eyes. God, she was so weird.

“No” Lauren shook her head, hugging onto her knees and averting her eyes to the ground, “I had the better look. I called it. You should have backed off. The ball should always go to the one coming _forward_ not the one moving _back”_

Gia scoffed, “Please, you just wanted the limelight. Lauren Shiba with the final out of the game. I _had_ that ball!”

“I don’t care about the “limelight”. I just wanted to win” The other freshman shrugged her shoulders, “I’m sorry if that interferes with your ego”

The wavy haired blonde’s eyes narrowed, did she _want_ to start a fight? Gia could totally take her in this closet if she wanted. “Whatever Lauren. I’ve spent _years_ playing under your shadow” Lauren Shiba of the _red team._ “Oooh Lauren is so great. She’s going to go _so_ far” Gia mocked what she had heard from other people, other parents, “Poor Lauren she’s doing so well considering...do you know why people say you’re so great? It’s because they feel _bad_ for you.”

Lauren clenched her hands tighter, she had nothing to say, just glared up at Gia knowing what was going to come next...words that she had heard from her _own_ teammate in the past Karone Astronema. “You’re _nothing_ special.” The freshman second baseman sighed dramatically, too young to understand how detrimental her words were.

The center fielder simply moved her hands from hugging her knees to hold onto the sides of her heads, letting out a sharp breath. What? Was the great Lauren Shiba going to cry now? Great. That was all Gia wanted to deal with, “And you’re nothing but a self centered brat.” After Lauren took a moment to reflect, she glared up daggers that shot right through Gia, “And you wouldn’t have gotten that ball”

“Oh _I’m_ the self centered brat?”

Lauren shrugged, nodding her head, “Did you not hear me?” She got to her feet to stand toe to toe with Gia. “Look. I’m sorry, if you felt like you were “under my shadow” or whatever that was about. I didn’t _ask_ for that attention. I don’t _want_ it. Do you think I _like_ being the poor little _Orphan Annie?_ The _looks_ people give me? The walking on eggshells and saying how “wonderful” I am is because they don’t know what else to _say._ My parents are _dead._ All I want is to play softball because maybe for an hour and a half I don’t have to be _reminded_ that they’ll never be there to see it.”

Okay. Gia could admit it to herself, she was being a bitch, messing with an orphan’s dead parents wasn’t a good idea. Gia had everything that Lauren _didn’t._ Parents. _Friends._ God, Lauren was always such a loner that the only people that would hang out with her were friends of Jayden who probably felt bad or that Jayden needed to bring her along to get her out of the house. “I’m sorry”

Lauren shook her head, turning her body away from Gia to face the back wall. “It’s okay...I know you don’t like me, and we don’t have to be friends, but we have to be _teammates”_

“Fine. Whoever has the best look gets the ball…” Bowling into Lauren was as much contact as Gia needed with the other girl for at least the rest of the season, “Anything to keep Coach from locking us in a closet together” The less one on one time she could spend with Gia the better. “Truce?”

Lauren turned around, offering her hand for Gia to take, “I never had anything against you, Gia. This wasn’t personal.”

“Yeah, whatever” Gia sighed, annoyed, she took Lauren’s hand to shake. Great, so now they put everything behind them. Gia looked to her cellphone and then to the door, they still had forty five minutes to be stuck in this closet with one another. _Great._ The _one_ person on this team that Gia _didn’t_ want to spend time with.

Lauren sat back down on the ground, no use in standing, “...Do you want to play a game to pass the time?”

“I have shitty reception in here” Gia shook her phone, before following that method up with trying to hold her arm out. Oh, Lauren meant an archaic game that didn’t involve electronics. The reluctant second baseman sat down next to Lauren, resting her head against the back wall. Time was just going to _crawl_ by.

The center fielder’s bottom lip curled into her mouth, she didn’t know what to say, she didn’t know what to do so she was perfectly content with just sitting there in silence. Silence was going to drive Gia _insane._ She couldn’t have been stuck in a closet with Tanya? Or Emma? “Ask me something, anything”

Lauren glanced over to her, unsure of what Gia was getting at, but she certainly liked hearing herself speak so...it didn’t surprise her. Maybe this was a game to play, “If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?”

“Far away from you, that’s for sure” Gia scoffed out a laugh, but she took a moment to regain her composure, to actually answer that question, “I dunno, maybe Paris? It’s supposed to be the most romantic city in the world. I’d love to be there with a special guy, maybe my husband.” She shrugged, “Maybe Rome. What about you?”

“Fictional. I’d love to be in space, to be with the stars...maybe have a lightsaber.” _Loser._ She smiled sadly, “I do a lot of reading, it’s a nice escape from being _here.”_ Gia frowned, oh this girl was so lonely that she found friends in books and fictional characters. “I’ve always wanted to see Japan” She let out a sigh, “My parents set aside money for Jayden and my graduation to take a backpacking trip across that country...growing up in a dojo well, it’s just...been a dream of mine to go East”

“Okay, whatever you say Samurai Princess” Gia _had_ to ask, “So, like, is Jayden one of those white guys who has a _thing_ for Asian chicks? I guess that’s a _thing_ ...I dunno, Emma’s been approached because of that before” It was something that rubbed Gia the wrong way, anything that made Emma uncomfortable was a _no_ in Gia’s book.

Lauren shook her head, “No…. _no._ He’s not dating Mia Watanabe _because_ she’s Japanese. He’s not like that.” The awkward center fielder shrugged her shoulders, “Mia’s really nice, she cares a lot about people and is always getting Jayden to volunteer and get out of the house. Ha, she’s got this cute little collection of pens when takes notes in class, they’re all color coded” Lauren paused, stopping herself in her tracks from possibly saying anything more. _Curious._ “...She’s good for him”

“Sounds like _you’re_ the one with the crush.” Gia rested a hand on her chest, laughing, “What’re you _gay?”_

Lauren glanced from Gia, to her feet, not responding right away. It was just a _joke._ God, Shiba needed to learn how to lighten up. “...Yeah” Lauren affirmed with a nod, but _did_ she have a crush on her _brother’s_ girlfriend?

“Oh”

Shit, this just got awkward.

“I’m sorry if that makes you uncomfortable.” Lauren politely, noticeably, scooted herself over to put more space between herself and Gia Moran.

“Whatever, it’s fine” Gia waved her hand, all of this time people thought _she_ and _Emma_ were in a relationship so it was jarring for Gia to actually be sitting next to someone who actually identified as a lesbian. No way, not her. She liked boys. She wanted _everyone_ to be clear on that fact. “Just, don’t start hitting on me”

Lauren shrugged her shoulders, still unable to make eye contact with Gia. “I won’t, besides, you’re not my type.”

 _What?_ No. No. No. Gia Moran was _everyone’s type._ Hot. Blonde. Someday she would be the _Queen_ of this school and boys would practically _beg_ her to go on dates with them. 10/10 should be on the top of everyone’s _I want to bang list._ Everyone’s. Girls should think she’s amazing too. _Lauren_ should look at her and go, _I am so gay for you._

Wait.

Why did Gia care so much that Lauren didn’t _want_ her? This was Lauren Shiba. She would probably be more into a lumberjack. That _had_ to be it.

“I’m everyone’s type”

“Tell that to gay men” Lauren looked to the ceiling and shook her head, the one demographic that physically would never be into a _girl._

“Okay, but for the ones in the closet. Hello, here I am, take me home to your parents so you can just lie about how awful your life is for being gay” Gia swallowed, _shit._ “I’m sorry.”

“I think _that’s_ the quickest you’ve ever apologized to me” The center fielder rubbed the back of her neck, this was the most Gia had ever heard her speak. It was weird. “It’s fine.”

“So what...how did you know? I mean you’re only...fourteen...don’t you need time?”

“I think I’ve always kind of known, even as a kid” She was _still_ a kid now, a freshman, practically a baby. “When Jayden was out with his friends I had the living room to myself. So I would make believe I was a knight and that I would be the one to save a princess, to kiss her and the curse would be lifted. I’d have to jump from couch to couch because obviously” Lauren chuckled, smiling to herself at a fond memory, “The floor is lava”

Gia shook her head in utter disbelief at what Lauren had just told her, “You are _such_ a loser Shiba.” The center fielder’s lips twitched into a frown, she opened herself up just for Gia to put her down _again._ “Oh my god” Gia was feeling second hand embarrassment for Lauren, “Please _never_ tell that to people”

“And you wonder why you’re not my type” Lauren murmured _so_ quietly to herself that Gia almost didn’t _hear_ that she had a bit of a bite back. Well played.

The closet door opened, startling both the girls from their intimate conversation about Lauren’s _embarrassing_ childhood Sleeping Beauty fantasy. Assistant coach Alpha the Fifth stood before them a clipboard in hand, “I swear Coach has to _stop_ doing this” He sighed, locking freshmen old girls in closets until they kissed and made up didn’t look great on paper. “Are you two alright?”

Lauren shrugged a non-response while Gia was quick to get to her feet. “I just want to get out of here” She had no qualms leaving Lauren in the closet, the two agreed that they would be _teammates._ Gia and Lauren were _not_ friends.

*****

Sophomore year brought along big changes for Gia Moran. She got a _car_ for her sweet sixteen a beautiful camaro...and who said there was no such thing as love at first sight? That car matched her personality so perfectly, bold, sexy, sporty. Her most prized possession. It was also the time in her life when she started to get _more_ attention from High School boys, she didn’t _want_ to have a boyfriend as much as she told people she liked boys….something wasn’t clicking for her. Her heart stopped one day when she saw Lauren Shiba in the weight room in only a red sports bra and black leggings showing off a glistening set of abs and who knew Lauren had an ass? A _perfect body._ Gia stumbled out of the weight room that day, swearing that she would _never_ return if god damn Lauren Shiba was in there. What the _hell_ was that?

She set her sights on the community college in town, she picked off a boy at a party. Orion. He was undoubtedly a virgin and was trying to swipe his v-card anyway he could. Gia took advantage of the eighteen year old with a fake ID. It was dumb, it was stupid, but it was their deal. Gia could start to carry around the reputation that she would only give _older_ guys the time of day and Orion….well...he’d be having sex with Gia. Win win. Only downside was...the actual sex part.

The first time, well, _everyone_ had a bad first time, right? She didn’t look too much into it, it was supposed to get better over time, right? Only the next time she got into bed with him it was much of the same, she would just... _take it_ until it was over. Maybe the transition was slow? It wasn’t like she didn’t _like_ Orion, he was extremely nice to her, he was cute...his body was _fine._ Everything worked. Why _wasn’t_ it clicking? Did she just _not_ enjoy sex? That seemed like it would be impossible. Her heart beated faster for Lauren Shiba than it did for her fuck-buddy. _God._

Maybe she just needed to try a different position, maybe he was doing it wrong. He had inexperience too after all. After a couple of strong shots at a party they were back in his room. This time _Gia_ was going to be the one to take charge of the situation, to be _on_ top...to ride him until reaching her own satisfaction. She didn’t get it. She had to fake it _again._ What was _wrong_ with her?

Gia couldn’t stay here, she quickly picked up her clothes, changed and stumbled out of his dorm room to find her car. She didn’t realize how tipsy she was until she sat back down, “Damn it” She pinched her nose by her eyes, she was _not_ going to cry over not being able to have an orgasm with some doe eyed college boy. Gia was stronger than this. What was the saying? Get back on the horse? That’s all she had to do...fake it till ya make it.

A knock at her drivers window made her heart jump out her chest. “What the fuck?” A shaken and startled Gia rolled down her window to confront the person who disturbed her. If it was some drunk college guy she swore to all things holy she would make them regret talking to them.

“Hi” Lauren _Fucking_ Shiba smiled awkwardly, standing outside of Gia’s car sending her an insecure wave. “Are you okay?” The _last_ person Gia Moran wanted to talk to this night was god damn Lauren. “You look upset that I thought maybe you were having car trouble...I could take a look if you want” Of _course_ perfect Lauren Shiba knew cars. Just _once_ Gia wanted Lauren to just _suck_ at something...something other than interacting with other human beings. Ugh.

A frustrated Gia rested her head back against her seat, “I’m _fine._ My car is _fine._ ” Fuck. Off. Lauren. “What the hell are _you_ doing here?”

“Jayden has a tournament, Mentor Ji and I are here to support him” Lauren explained with a nod of her head, “The community college sometimes hosts martial arts expos when the dojo can’t.” Gia put a hand up to try and shush the center fielder, god, she did not _care_ about Jayden Shiba and his kung-fu, jujutsu _whatever._ “It’s a break so I wanted to take a walk, it’s a nice night” She glanced up to the sky, “There’s no clouds so you can see the stars”

“Lauren...I mean this in the _nicest_ way possible” The second baseman glared over to the other girl, “Please...leave me alone”

“You shouldn’t drive when you're upset.” Lauren squinted her eyes, focusing on trying to find Gia’s, “You’ve been drinking” She observed, “You were going to go out on the road?”

“I’m _fine”_

“Stay over my house tonight” She suggested, her hand clenching down on the door, “I can’t let you drive, and something tells me that your parents aren’t going to be thrilled to see you like this.” Lauren pleaded with Gia, looking like a damn sad puppy, “Please.”

“We’re _not_ friends Lauren, you don’t need to worry about me” Gia just wanted to be alone, “...I’m not your parents.” She knew the root of Lauren’s worry, how she lost her parents when she was young to a car accident.

“No. You’re still alive.” Her classmate wasn’t going to budge on this one, “...And I’d like it if you stayed that way”

Fuck.

“...Fine.” Gia huffed, moving over so Lauren could take the wheel. “But if you put one _scratch_ on my baby I’m going to personally kick your ass” She was tired, she was sore, she wanted nothing to do with Lauren Shiba but here she was offering to drive her back to her house. Gia didn’t trust many people with her car, but...as much as she hated to admit that Lauren was right...she shouldn’t be driving tonight.

Well, there was one upside at staying with Lauren for the night and that was the Shiba house. The part dojo, part home for the remainder of the Shiba clan...and Antonio Garcia, was absolutely gorgeous. An old eastern feel mixed with a beautiful zen garden outside, a bridge, a small river. Lauren Shiba owned a god damn koi pond and if it weren’t night time Gia would have a peaceful view of the amazing trees that surrounded this place. So she had a cool house. Staying here for _one_ night didn’t kill her.

Lauren took her to her room, Gia was surprised at the lack of posters on the wall, how little the other blonde seemed to own. A desk, a neatly organized closet, a bookshelf, a made bed with not a single thing on the floor. It barely looked like anyone _lived_ here. “...Did you want to watch a movie?” She asked taking a seat on the foot of her bed, glancing up to Gia who was still taking stock of her surroundings. The car ride over and the sheer fear of Lauren doing _anything_ to her car certainly woke her up. “I...don’t have much of a selection...but I hear that’s what people do at sleepovers”

Gia had walked over to the only remotely interesting thing in Lauren’s room, the bookshelf, to see what Lauren was even into. Not like these titles meant much to the second baseman, her reading tended to lean more to fashion magazines and what’s hot and what’s not. “You’ve never had a sleepover before?”

Lauren looked down to her hands, shrugging her shoulders when she admitted, “I’ve never had a friend before” No one wanted to be around the girl who lost her parents. Mike Fernandez, Antonio Garcia the two boys were friends of _Jayden._ Mia Watanabe was _Jayden’s_ girlfriend and with Emily Ava being Mia’s best friend...none of them were really around for _Lauren._

God, that was depressing. Gia didn’t even have the heart to point out that the two blondes _weren’t friends._ “Well you’re in luck, because I have a lot of experience with sleepovers, but we’re not going to have a pillow fight. I don’t want you getting excited” She jabbed with a smile, going over to where her purse sat. “I’m going to give you a makeover”

Lauren frowned, glancing at the clock, “It’s like 11pm….why?”

“Because you need all the help you can get” And it was something Gia wanted to do, “Good news is you’re just as pale as I am so whatever looks good on _me_ should look good on you.” She grabbed Lauren’s desk chair and turned it around, “Sit”

The other blonde did as she was told, moving from sitting on her bed to sitting on the chair like Gia had asked. She watched with wide eyes as Gia would take her makeup out of her bag, Lauren had no idea what _any_ of that stuff was. “What’s that?”

“You’re kidding me right?” Lauren shook her head, no, this wasn’t a joke. “Oh my _God”_

The center fielder looked down to her hands, “I never learned what any of this stuff is” Her basic knowledge was how to put her hair up in a ponytail. Lauren’s mother wasn’t around and in a house of only men...her only other option was to watch youtube tutorials.

“Jesus, okay” Gia started to pull things out to show Lauren, “Concealer, for when you’re having an all nighter and you want to cover up under the eye. Foundation to even everything out” She motioned to her own perfect face, “Like so. Blush, self explanatory, even you’re not that dumb. Eyeshadow, mascara, eyeliner...you have really pretty eyes, that blue...it’ll pop if you use this”

Gia tilted Lauren’s chin up so she could get the best lighting and assessment on what she needed to do. “I’m not going to go crazy here, but at least let me work on your eyes”

“Mm” Lauren seemed unsure, but who was she to say no at this point? “Okay”

“So close your eyes, I’ll only be using a little bit of eyeshadow so you can get kind of an idea” Gia, out of the kindness of her heart was all for this little charity project, anything to try and make the other softball player look better. “Blues, grays, silvers, blue-grays, keep with your _cool_ colors”

“Um...sure”

“Okay….I have to get close so open your eyes, we’re going to do your eyeliner” Gia didn’t think her night with Orion would end in Lauren Shiba’s bedroom, “Just...keep...stop...stop leaning back... _Stop_ flinching”

“Sorry, you’re coming at my _eye”_

“Yeah and I’m going to poke it out if you keep twitching”

Lauren huffed out a sigh, gaining her composure before nodding her permission for Gia to continue. The eyeliner and the mascara was easily the hardest part, she was used to doing her own makeup, it wasn’t as easy to do someone else’s. _Especially_ their eyes. Lauren’s lips, and the finishing touches of blush was a cakewalk in comparison to getting Lauren Shiba to sit still. Once she was done with her handiwork, Gia nudged Lauren to turn around and look at herself in her mirror. “I’m a miracle worker…”

Lauren took a moment to register the little differences, the way her features popped, she never really considered herself to be a _pretty_ girl. She stood up to take a step closer to the mirror, “This doesn’t look like me”

“...It’s a _better_ you” Gia smirked, proud of herself, especially since she was still a little tipsy. “You're welcome”

“Oh” Lauren’s lips twitched into a smile, Gia had to swat her hand down before she started touching her face with her grubby gay fingers and ruin everything. “...Thank you”

“Yeah, well, it’s not a big deal” It was. Gia just didn’t realize how much.

*****

What the _fuck_ was wrong with Jayden’s group of friends? Hot damn. No one in the sophomore class could see _Jayden Shiba_ and _Mia Watanabe_ breaking up. The two seemed like a perfect couple, always so happy to be with one another, even if Jayden also suffered from quiet Shiba syndrome. Gia didn’t know their lives, she didn’t care to, but when she saw _Mia Watanabe_ kissing _Lauren_ Shiba a month or so after the ‘big break up’ Gia was _floored._ More importantly she was _concerned._ Ugh. Lauren was _too_ broken of a human being to be used by Mia and Gia wasn’t having it.

Gia stopped Lauren in the hallway, resting a hand on her teammates arm, “What the hell are you doing with Mia?”

Lauren’s eyes were practically sparkling, an actual genuine smile on her face, “She’s my girlfriend” Oh she was so excited, this actually hurt. She must not have been aware of the rumor circling around the school that Mia wanted to fuck both Lauren and Jayden at the same time. Of course Lauren didn’t know. She was oblivious to anything relevant, even if it had to do with her.

“...Don’t be an idiot…” Lauren frowned, “I’m just saying...Mia _just_ got out of a relationship with your _brother_ and moved onto you. Don’t you think that’s a little soon?”

“...Their relationship isn’t all you think it was….”

“She fucked your _brother,_ Lauren, and now she’s with you to get a complete set” Didn’t Lauren understand how that looked? That Mia went from riding Jayden to wanting to crawl into bed with his sister?

“Don’t” Lauren warned, closing her locker. She wouldn’t hesitate to defend her new girlfriend’s honor even if that meant locking horns with her teammate. Her teammate of over a year who tolerated Lauren’s existence. “You don’t get to talk that way about her.”

“I’m worried about you, alright?” Gia shook her head, “I don’t want you to get pulled around and fucked over by some girl who’s going to treat you as the flavor of the month. You’re a _rebound._ She’s probably just using _you_ because she can’t have who she _really_ wants.”

Lauren grabbed a hold of Gia’s shoulders and flipped their positions in a swift motion to pin her to the metal of the lockers. “Just…. _stop!_ You’re not looking out for me, you don’t give a _damn_ about me. So leave me alone and let me have _one_ thing that makes me happy. We’re not friends, remember?”

Gia was quick to try and shove Lauren off of her but damn, that girl was a _wall._ “Oh I’m sorry for giving a shit! But when she breaks up with you, I’ll just say I told you so. Ugh god. Get your dykey hands off of me”

Lauren narrowed her eyes, shoving Gia once more into the lockers for good measure. That was the wrong move. As soon as Lauren let go and turned herself away from the blonde, Gia shoved her back. “Really?” Lauren snapped, turning her head to glare at the other girl, “What is your _problem?”_

“Your dumb ass for not _listening_ to me” Gia sighed, “I get it, you’re lonely, you’d do just about damn near anything for someone who smiles in your direction like a goddamn puppy. Mia Watanabe is _bad_ news and I don’t want to see your heart getting broken...she’s _going_ to fuck you over...she’s _using_ you. Don’t you see?” Gia wasn’t sure how much of Mia’s bisexuality she actually believed. To her, it just looked like Lauren was just an experiment.  

“Don’t _you_ see that this is none of your business?” Lauren’s eyes narrowed, stepping closer to Gia, she was on the defensive now, _“You_ have _no_ right coming after Mia. Besides, don’t you think it’s a little hypocritical of you? Going out and calling _Mia_ a slut when _you’re_ the one who lets college boys have an all access pass” Gia would have been impressed that _Lauren_ had the capability of going there, if it wasn’t a dig against _her._

“Oh _fuck_ you Lauren!” Gia shook her head, she was getting heated now, and once she started she would be a _force_ to stop. “You know what, have _fun._ I wish you and your _girlfriend_ the best. Not many people in Angel Grove can look at the person they’re fucking and say, _“well that’s not how your brother does it”_.”

 _“GIA”_ Emma Goodall wedged herself between Lauren and Gia in the hallway, resting a hand on her best friend’s stomach and pushing her back. Her eyes were wide, what was Gia _doing_ going after Lauren like _this?_ They were supposed to be teammates, not fighting one another so publically in the hallway. Lauren already had enough on her plate, people were going around and calling Shiba Grove the fag house. Gia did _not_ need to be agitating her further. “Back. Off.” The third baseman spoke with a determination, to calm Gia down...she didn’t mean to snap like this...just show concern.

Lauren shook her head, bending down to grab her backpack and sling it over her shoulder, “...See you at practice…” She stated, turning away, she didn’t want to be apart of this anymore. The girl had an unwavering loyalty to her girlfriend, Gia only hoped that Mia _wasn’t_ the worst.  Lauren didn’t deserve to be tugged around in a rebound situation.

“I can’t _believe_ you” Emma scolded, shaking her head at Gia, “You can’t be _nice_ to her? What is the matter with you?” A disappointed Emma left Gia to stand in the hallway and reflect on what she had done...how she had snapped.

Damn it.

*****

Gia didn’t like to admit when she was wrong, she knew she needed to apologize to Lauren for snapping at her in the hallway like she did. She really _did_ have good intentions but just sort of lost her cool when Lauren got defensive. Gia couldn’t blame her, she really leaned into Mia’s integrity. It wasn’t nice. Emma reminded her multiple times that she should be the bigger person and apologize. It had been a couple of weeks, the girls were preparing for their _big_ playoff game against Brairwood. Gia and Lauren needed to be on the same page.

When Gia entered the school, she saw Aisha Campbell signing a bright red cast on Lauren’s arm. What. The. Fuck? Lauren’s arm was _broken._ One of their best players wouldn’t be playing in the playoffs because….she wasn’t sure why but she was sure as hell going to find out. Her apology would have to sit on the backburner. “Lauren. What the hell happened?”

Lauren sighed, having to prepare herself for another possible Gia meltdown, “Got into an accident.”

“An _accident._ You, a _Shiba_ got into an _accident?_ Right before our big game? Are you _fucking_ kidding me?” Gia shook her head in absolute utter disbelief. Lauren was the epitome of careful when it came to operating any sort of vehicle. Lauren wasn’t like the freshman shortstop _Tori Hanson_ a daredevil and the _most likely_ to get herself hurt over something stupid. Lauren was _better_ than this. “This is Briarwood! If we _lose_ we’re _done”_

“I’m aware of that.”

“Gia” Aisha looked horrified at how the second baseman was reacting to this news, “We should just be glad that everyone involved is _okay”_

“...You’re….you’re an idiot...” Gia was still shocked at the news, at the sight of the cast, who else was involved? “If we _lose_ this is on _you.”_ She didn’t want to start something else, not in the public hallway like this. Gia had to walk away, she wanted to scream at Lauren for being so _stupid._

Emma was the one that had quickly caught up to her, Aisha must have told her how poorly she reacted to the news. She grabbed Gia and took her out into the courtyard, at least they would be outside, a place where people wouldn’t be listening in. “What is the matter with you? Do you know how traumatized she is right now? She was in a _car accident,_ and you’re going to guilt trip her? That’s a new low.”

Gia sat herself down on the picnic bench, “She’s an idiot” Here, with Emma, she felt safe to let down her walls, to show an _ounce_ of emotions. “I don’t know about _you_ Emma but I don’t think this town can take another Shiba funeral”

The third baseman’s expression softened, not expecting Gia to bite back with _that._ Emma joined Gia on the picnic table, draping an arm around her shoulders, “...Gia…she’s okay. Jayden, Antonio...they’re all fine.”

“I don’t even _like_ her, Em.” Her being affected by the _word_ accident said otherwise, Emma started to rub her back, the blonde wiping her eye with the back of her hand, she was _not_ going to cry over stupid Lauren. _“God”_ But she wasn’t ready for the possibility to face a world where Lauren wasn’t in it. That bitch. “How did this happen? Lauren is _so_ careful” She was the one that cared enough to make Gia _not_ drive home after a breakdown.

“Jayden was driving…” Emma explained the story that had been told by her, if Gia had kept her cool long enough she would have learned about it too. “There was a deer in the road and Jayden swerved, jerking the car too much and losing control...they hit a tree. Lauren was in the backseat. Jayden and Antonio weren’t up for coming into school, they’re just shaken up. So _please_ don’t harass her.”

Gia sighed, nodding her head. She knew exactly what she had to do.

During their lunch period, Gia had to be the bigger person. She approached Lauren’s table, with Jayden and Antonio out all that remained in their little group was Mike, Emily, Mia and Lauren. “Look I won’t take up much of your time” Gia sighed, she _hated_ apologizing, “I’m glad you’re okay...and I’m sorry for what I said earlier….” She swallowed, her eyes averting to Mia, the aspiring valedictorian had a hand on Lauren’s cast. “I’m sorry for the shit I said about you”

Mia Watanabe tilted her head, looking from Lauren to Gia in confusion. Fuck. Lauren didn’t _tell_ Mia? Well now Gia felt like an ass. “What did you say about me?” Lauren averted her eyes, she wasn’t going to repeat it.

“You know, that’s not even important anymore, because I’m sorry.” Gia didn’t _want_ to have to push the replay button on that mistake. Not while Jayden’s _other_ friends Mike and Emily were staring at her intently.

“Oh no. I want to know.” Not many people had the guts to stand up to a sixteen year old Gia Moran, but Mia Watanabe _wasn’t_ afraid of her. “I know what people have been saying about me, that I’m the center of a Shiba sandwich.”

Gia sighed, fine, “Well I never implied _that._ Just...that you might be using her as a rebound because you can’t have Jayden…” Mia’s thumb stroked the cast on Lauren’s arm, she wouldn’t even be able to feel the gentle caress. Gia added a, “...And that you could say “that’s not how your brother does it” y’know, after sex”

Mike let out a snort, “Nice!” He blinked as _four_ girls sent him a look...Emily’s brow arching. Too many girls. He needed Jayden and Antonio to come back to balance the dick to vagina ratio of the table. “...Sorry”

“...Well, that’s not the worst” Mia sighed, “But I can assure you that Lauren _isn’t_ a rebound for me” If anything she was a total upgrade in Gia’s book. She could spend a good hour tracing the contours of Lauren’s body with her fingertips... _Mia_ could...not Gia. Gia did _not_ want to be with another girl. If Mia was all about that life now...good for her.

“Thank you” Lauren wanted to acknowledge Gia’s apology, “...I’m sorry that this happened before the game. I know how important this one is…”

“Hey no...don’t apologize for that.” Gia sighed, “What’s important is that you’re okay. We’ll beat Briarwood” She smirked, “We’ll win this one for you”

*****

_The Angel Grove Tigers lost to the Briarwood Bulls 3 to 5._

*****

Junior year was a new slate. A new start. This would be the Lady Tiger’s big year, they could feel it. Lauren’s arm healed beautifully, she was still with Mia Watanabe and as for Gia...well she had one focus and one focus alone. Becoming team captain for her senior year and if she was going to _make_ that goal she would have to put her up and down friendship with Lauren behind her and get to what really mattered. _Winning._ Between the two girls there was an unspoken acceptance of one another. Lauren would be the quiet loner and Gia would be _Gia_ the one who teased her every now and again. They put the game first, they _weren’t_ friends, they were teammates and they tried to avoid spending time together outside of softball. It was for the best.

The Angel Grove Tigers led by Jen Scotts made it pretty far in regular season, past their divisonals and got as far the quarter finals in the state tournament. It was the farthest _any_ Angel Grove softball team had gotten in the entire history of the school. Four seniors could graduate with their heads held up high. A vote would be held during the last week of school, an important one to decide who would lead the team for their senior years. 10 votes. In the event of a tie, Coach Repulsa would make the final choice...it didn’t come to that.

4 Votes for Gia Moran.  
6 Votes for Lauren Shiba.

Gia lost to god damn Lauren Shiba. Something that struck her pretty hard, _Gia_ felt like she deserved to be the one to lead the team. She’d be damn good at it...born to lead, this just felt like a slap in the face.

Over the summer the girls would take advantage of Tori Hanson’s beach house. It made for fun relaxing weekends, ones that would bring about memories to last a lifetime. A changing of the guard, Jen Scotts to pass down her legacy to _Lauren Shiba._ Gia was now apart of _Lauren’s_ team. That would take some getting used to for Gia to have to be her _number two._ Still, Gia would miss the senior class...this year was probably the most drama free the team had seen, and because of it they had results. Jen Scotts was a _good_ leader...jury would still be out on Lauren’s capabilities until next season.

The girls downstairs were getting ready to have a bit of a dance party, Gia was sent up to the second floor balcony to try and find the stoic new leader. Lauren always had a bad habit of secluding herself during team events, during parties, three years under her belt on this team and she was still awkward as hell. “Everyone’s looking for you” Gia said, stepping forward to lean against the supports of the balcony.

“Didn’t take long to find me” She took a swig of beer, drinking it straight out of the bottle. “It’s a nice night to be out”

Gia nodded, she had to agree, “Yeah...you can see the north star” She took a second to point it out to Lauren, the newly crowned softball captain smiled. “Would it ever kill you to have some fun?”

Lauren didn't want to beat around the bush, “Look….about the vote….”

“You won fair and square” Gia turned, resting her back against the supports, “The teams yours”

“People only voted for me because they feel _sorry_ for me” Lauren sighed, believing what she had been told for years, that she only earned things because people felt sorry about her homelife, and now about Lauren being an out couple. Mia had formed a club after a new kid, Kevin Barron, was bullied by his swim team. The gay straight alliance. GSA...they weren’t well received. “If I fail...if I’m not good enough…”

“Then I’ll gladly take the team off your hands” Gia couldn’t take this from her, not now, “I don’t think you’ll _completely_ suck” She laughed, she was mostly kidding.

“Oh thanks” Lauren got up to stand next to Gia, leaning on the wooden support so she could look out to the ocean crashing against the shore. “I voted for you”

“What?” The second baseman was taken aback by the confession, “You _know_ you can vote for _yourself_ right?”

“I know” Lauren glanced over her shoulder to the door, “I’m not good at this...everyone _likes_ you”

“You’re not wrong there”

“....I’m just _saying_ you’d make a good leader” Lauren wasn’t going to keep inflating Gia’s ego.

“Hey” Gia nudged Lauren’s arm, “You always put _team_ before anything else, you put the game over the personal bullshit. You have a level head...you meditate and reflect and all that nonsense... _look..._ whatever happens next year...I’ll have your back”

*****

Senior year... _wow._ Lauren and Mia was still going strong, Tori dumped Blake Bradley’s ass over this past weekend, Tanya and Adam Park _finally_ started to date and Gia….well...she finally was honest with herself and with her relationship with her best friend, scratch that, _girlfriend,_ Emma Goodall. Four new players replaced the ones that had graduated the year before. An ex-cheerleader who fucked over her friends and on a road to redemption, a ‘thinks she’s a badass’ ace catcher who’s head over heels with the ex-cheerleader, a popular freshman girl and a super dorky freshman who had a thing for dinosaurs.

They made for a rag-tag team but so far their season on paper had been going great. A dropped ball incident pitted Lauren against Gia. Gia, felt hurt and betrayed and she hated that Lauren was defending a girl who betrayed their team when the stakes were high. Lauren always kept a level head, she wasn’t going to ostracize _one_ teammate. Overtime the team healed, and they managed to survive and _strive_ with a perfect record going into the biggest rivalry game to date.  Karone and her Briarwood Bulls vs Lauren and her Lady Tigers.

In the bottom of the third inning Karone had thrown a pitch that hit Gia square in the helmet. Oh that was it. Gia had been fighting for this entire past week. Briarwood and the likes of Red really drove her over the edge. Trini was thrown into a lake, a freshman was duct taped to a flagpole, Emma’s camera was smashed to bits right in front of her. She stormed the pitcher’s mound to confront her directly which started a chain reaction to get not only the two players but Coach Repulsa and Coach Repulsa kicked out of the game as well.

“Oh Zordon that _idiot”_ Rita kicked a can as far as she could, not caring that it hit a car in the Angel Grove parking out. She was _pissed._ “You didn’t even make a swing. Oh. Ohhh”

“What’s the matter sis?” Coming around the corner Coach Rito Repulsa and Karone at his side came to speak with his sister. Just because they were off the field didn’t mean they were done facing off with one another, “You gonna _cry?”_

“Oh” She narrowed her eyes poking a sharpened nail into the thin man’s chest, “Do _not_ push me today you little bitch of a man.”

Karone only seemed satisfied, folding her arms as she tried to watch the game from a distance. “Campbell _and_ Hart in the game? You should consider this one lost”

“Oh _fuck_ you Karone” Gia narrowed her eyes, hoping that Lauren would figure out a way to keep their lead. Kimberly, their sophomore pitcher _better_ keep her head on her shoulders. With Gia out of the line up, they lost one of their better batters.

“Mm I’m sure you’d like that” She sneered, “I heard about you and _Goodall”_ Her taunting laugh sickened the Angel Grove second baseman, “Can’t say I’m _surprised_ by it. Your look always _screamed_ lesbo”

The moment Gia reeled her fist back it was grabbed by Rita, her coach scolding her with a, “You want to hit her? Do it off school property. Step back and _cool_ off”

Gia narrowed her eyes at Karone, if she wasn’t able to punch that smirk off the captain’s face she would have to resort to other matters, “You know I always thought the same thing about _you._ It’s funny, cause my gaydar’s never _wrong._ Shame that your _brother_ was the one shipped off to boarding school. Your parents sent the wrong kid... _you_ would’ve had a _blast_ at an all girls school”

Karone was now the one that stepped forward, her expression darkening at the mention of her brother Andros Astronema. Rito had to wrap an arm around her waist to physically pull her back from ripping Gia’s hair out. “You think you’re _so_ tough. If I can break _Lauren Shiba_ I can certainly break _you”_

“What the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?” Gia balled her fist, despite Rita having a grip on her arm.

“I’d like to know the answer to that too” No one. _No one,_ fucked with her team. Her girls.

“Oh just some _harmless_ pranks” Karone reached into her duffle bag to pull out her cell phone, showing Gia a photo of her yellow camaro her windows were covered in paint, slurs and insults... _whore, slut, bitch._ One swipe of the phone and Emma’s pink volkswagon bug car was also covered in some choice words. “You lovebirds made for a one two deal” Another swipe, Trini Gomez’s front yard _covered_ in toilet paper.

Gia had no idea, she _never_ had seen this, the entire week and her car was pristine...in fact it never looked better. Lauren. Fucking Lauren, she stretched herself thin trying to prevent the girls from knowing what strings Karone had been pulling. Still. These pranks weren’t _that_ bad. Window paint, toilet paper. Lauren was _too_ strong to be pulled down by something so juvenile.

“Well, well, guess who’s got an _in_ with the _Mayor?”_ Rita snatched the phone away from Karone. “She’ll _love_ to see your little photo collection”

“Ey! Ey! You can’t just take that” Rito tried to reach up and grab the phone, but like a sister, Rita had far too much fun resting a hand on his head to push him away her other hand holding it up high above his reach.

Gia locked eyes with Karone as the two supposed _adults_ fought over Karone’s phone. Karone didn’t even seem to care...if Mayor Udonna caught wind of what the softball team had been up to they could face game suspensions. An automatic forfeit. Karone made it her personal mission to get under Lauren’s skin and _that_ wasn’t going to fly. _No_ one messed with this softball team, and that included Lauren.

The Angel Grove Tigers had won the game, narrowly defeating the Briarwood Bulls. Gia had met up with Emma in the locker room, wanting to give her a congratulatory kiss. The team was able to win without her, and against all the odds of having both Aisha and Kimberly in the lineup they managed to squeak by with a win. Tanya blasted some victory music, Kimberly was in a bit of a big mood so she and Trini had slipped out...no sign of Lauren. The loner always managed to distance herself, even on the bus.

Gia promised that she would catch up with Emma in a couple of minutes. She went outside to find Lauren just sitting on a bench, just watching the crowds of Angel Grove and Briarwood students and citizens leaving the parking lot. “Congratulations cappin’.” Gia sent Lauren a fake salute, taking up the space next to the other blonde by sitting next to her, “What a win, one you should celebrate with your team”

Lauren didn’t respond, she just smiled sadly. “I know about Karone’s pranks…” Gia continued, “About how she tagged Emma and my car...miraculously it all was cleaned up before I woke up. You wouldn’t know anything about that would you?”

“What do you want me to say?” Lauren turned her head in Gia’s direction, she looked exhausted, her hands were wrapped up in pink bandages. Gia was _so_ blind to her teammate next to her, she was so wrapped up in her love life with Emma to see how much pain Lauen was facing. “She went after all of you...in different ways. I took _care_ of it”

“Why didn’t you even tell us?” Gia frowned, “This was just dumb shit...window paint on cars, TP on Trini’s house…”

“Because everyone was heated” The team captain explained simply enough, “You’re telling me you _wouldn’t_ retaliate? We’d be no better than the boys. I couldn’t risk getting my teammates suspended. You’re going to UCLA….Tanya has plans to go to college in Atlanta. These were just dumb pranks. Like you said.”

“Okay...I’m going to ask you something, and I want you to be 100% honest with me” Lauren nodded her head for Gia to continue. “Is Karone gay? Is she going after you because she has some big old lesbian crush on you? Did you secretly date or something? Bad break up? What am I missing? This is _way_ too personal.”

 _“Yes”_ Lauren responded to the first question, she rested her hands on her knees and stood herself up. “But Karone was never in love with _me.” What?_ “Don’t think too hard on that, don’t try to get yourself involved. This was all something that happened in the past”

In the past. Like oh, say two years ago...right around playoffs. “You weren’t in a car accident, were you?”

Lauren shook her head, “No, I wasn’t.”

Gia had three guesses that Karone’s brother wasn’t sent to a boarding school either. “Jesus, Lauren…what the _hell_ happened?”

“It doesn’t matter now.” Lauren was going to walk away from this conversation, but Gia wasn’t going to let her, not after _that_ confession. “We _won_ today. We can wash our hands of the past...and look forward. We face Silver Hills next”

“We’re your _team._ If you are in trouble we are _there_ for you... _I_ will be there for you...if that _bitch_ ever... _ever_ gives you hell-”

“I wouldn’t ask that on a _teammate”_ Lauren shook her head, “We’re _not_ friends. You’ve made that _crystal_ clear over the past few years”

“Oh Lauren, you’re such an _idiot.”_ The second baseman smiled, shaking her head incredulously, “We’re _not_ friends. We’re _sisters.”_ She surprised Lauren by coming in and wrapping her arms around her in a hug, “And you make a damn good captain” A stunned Lauren wrapped her arms around Gia returning the hug, it felt so foreign to her to show affection to someone _other_ than her girlfriend. “You don’t have to fight this alone.” Lauren didn’t say anything, she just locked her arms, wanting this to last just a little longer...unsure if this was even real.

Tanya, Emma, and Aisha were the next ones to step out of the locker room. The whole group of seniors were together now. They were the ones that built the foundation of this team, had stuck together since they were freshmen. Emma and Aisha could only exchange a smile and a glane, the pair were so happy that the blondes were getting along, Tanya clamped a hand on Lauren’s shoulder, “Whenever you two are done with this little love fest, I’m throwing a party at my house. Fuck Briarwood we are _done_ with this shit!”

When Gia released Lauren, she saddled up next to Emma, the girlfriend. “Oh I can definitely use a drink after this week”

“Tori’s working on getting us some pizzas” Aisha added with a smile, it was hard to frown right now, they just beat their rivals. The biggest game yet.

Emma tilted her head in Lauren’s direction, the team captain was the only one _still_ in her uniform, “Are you going to join us?”

Lauren glanced over to Gia’s direction, the other girl nodding her head, “I wouldn’t miss it”

**Author's Note:**

> The ending has a bit of teasers for other sideline stories in the future. A "prequel" about the history of the GSA as well as Karone getting a sideline of her own. That's for further down the line. I'll be working on Chapter 21 of the mainfic very very soon, and Tanya's party is my biggest hint of something that will be happening. 
> 
> <3 thank you all so much for your continued support!


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